Fusion Offside On Key Goal, Mls Says

July 31, 1999|By DAVE BROUSSEAU Staff Writer

The Fusion got more than a few lucky bounces in its 3-2 shootout victory over the Tampa Bay Mutiny on Thursday. It got a questionable non-call from referee assistant Robbie Mann and referee Kevin Terry.

After reviewing a tape of the game on Friday, MLS Vice President of Game Operations Joe Machnick said that Welton's tying goal in the 76th minute should have been disallowed.

Welton took a cross from Tim Sahaydak and headed the ball through the legs of Fusion forward Saul Martinez. Martinez, standing a few feet in front of the Mutiny net, was clearly offside. There was no hesitation by either referee, and Welton's goal counted.

A questionable non-call isn't new to Terry and his crew.

During MLS Cup 1998 between the Chicago Fire and D.C. United, Diego Gutierrez scored with 54 seconds left in the first half, giving the Fire a 2-0 lead. No offside was called, although Fire forward Ante Razov was between the D.C. defense and keeper Tom Presthus.

Tampa Bay coach Tim Hankinson said there should have been an offside call, but he was more concerned his defense left Fusion players unmarked in the middle of the penalty box.

United States Soccer, which assigns referees to MLS games, is expected to review the game film this weekend. A decision on whether to reprimand Terry and his crew probably will be made next week.

A rare 2-0 rally

The Fusion became the third team in the league this season to rally from a two-goal deficit and earn a victory. The San Jose Clash has done it three times, the latest when it beat the Fire 3-2 eight days ago. D.C. United did it once.

Rallying from a 2-0 deficit to win was a first for the Fusion. It had lost 21 consecutive games when it trailed by a 2-0 score.

Thursday's crowd of 9,172 was the largest to watch a Fusion midweek game at Lockhart Stadium. It surpassed the previous high of 8,812 against the Columbus Crew on the same date last year. The Fusion won that game 3-2.